“That ing .”

 

Jongin startles at Kyungsoo’s sudden cursing, nearly dropping his phone. He takes a step back, wary of the shoehorn in Kyungsoo’s hand.

 

“Maybe he thought it would work with the outfit?” Jongin tries reasonably.

 

“Jongin, you literally have an eyeful of blue sparkles,” Kyungsoo says flatly, glaring at the shimmering make up catching the light on Jongin’s eyelids.

 

“I specifically told him we were going with the camouflage look today, I’ve even got everything ready here,” Kyungsoo waves a frustrated hand at the carefully constructed outfit hanging off the rack, shoes and accessories and all. Nothing clashes more with the dark, mysterious image he was hoping to portray on Jongin than glitter.

 

“Sorry, hyung,” Jongin looks a little sheepish even though none of this is on him. He just keeps getting caught in the middle. This is all Baekhyun’s doing, almost definitely deliberately too. He always goes left when Kyungsoo says right.

 

Bristling protectively, Kyungsoo pats Jongin’s elbow and shakes his head at the apology, making a note to deal with Baekhyun later.

 

He works on getting Jongin dressed for the show, yanking different articles of clothing off the hangers and pondering over the new outfit he’s trying to put together before coaxing Jongin into them, satisfied. Kyungsoo has dressed plenty of people before but Jongin’s wardrobe needs a little extra attention. For a dancer, Kyungsoo keeps an eye out for that extra detail, focusing on Jongin’s performances and figuring out which clothes would enhance it, ones that wouldn’t hinder him. He knows what Jongin likes and what he’d rather avoid, actively tailoring the clothes to him and his movements to let Jongin perform to the very best of his abilities freely.

 

“These look really good hyung,” Jongin says, and Kyungsoo smiles appreciatively despite the simmering rage he’s holding back beneath the surface. He ushers Jongin out of the changing room then, letting the security personnel and Jongin’s manager guide him further along backstage before his performance begins.

 

Kyungsoo folds Jongin’s discarded clothes neatly, setting them on the chair by the dressing table and turns to leave, hoping to get a good view of Jongin from the side of the stage if he can manage a spot.

 

Turns out there’s a great spot with a clear view of Jongin by the staircase, except Baekhyun is already there, arms folded against his chest, leaning against one of the spare amplifiers.

 

“Oh hey, I like what you did with the clothes,” Baekhyun grins, like he doesn’t know exactly what he contributed to the change.

 

“Bite me,” Kyungsoo grunts, keeping his eyes ahead on Jongin. The lights are dimming; it’s about to begin.

 

Baekhyun’s chuckle rings in his ears right before the booming music blares out from the speakers, drowning out any other comments he’d otherwise be passing.

 

This is nothing new. Kyungsoo knows the drill, yet somehow it still keeps getting under his skin, he still keeps letting Baekhyun rile him up. Not that he just sits back and does nothing. Kyungsoo gives as good as he gets, as often as he can manage, sometimes even getting Jongin officially photographed when he’s dressed even before he’s gotten his make up done, just so Baekhyun can’t deviate from the outfit plan and make him change out into something else for kicks.

 

It seems counterproductive but any past attempts at collaborative efforts have had abysmal results, the constant bickering pushing them farther back in progress than the way they do things now.

 

It’s probably a sign that it’s gotten seriously out of hand when Kyungsoo dwells on how he’s going to get to Jongin before Baekhyun does from days and nights before any event, almost forgetting that he’s supposed to be planning an outfit at all, crawling into bed and closing his eyes to the image of Baekhyun’s face and his stupid scrunched up eyes when he laughs.

 

 

 

▸

 

“He literally let the elevator doors close right in my face,” Baekhyun grumbles, spreading the make-up kit across the dressing table. “Didn’t even try to hold them open. .”

 

He sifts through the eye shadow cases, looking for the right palette of colours to match the stage outfit Jongin already has on. Not even remotely close to the look he’d been planning for the event, but then, that was the point of Kyungsoo snagging the elevator ride before he could get to Jongin first.

 

“Maybe he just didn’t know which button to press,” Jongin suggests, ever the pacifier between them. It’s sweet. “You know how he is with technology.”

 

Baekhyun laughs, thinking of how often Kyungsoo has tried and failed to use SNS to post different looks online in an attempt to thwart Baekhyun, even begrudgingly asking Baekhyun himself for help one time when he couldn't figure out the settings. Nothing delights him more than watching Kyungsoo’s eyebrows furrow when he’s concentrating deeply on something frustrating at hand. There’s something fascinating about the minute changes in Kyungsoo’s focused expression that intrigues him.

 

“Besides, it doesn’t matter,” Jongin goes on, breaking him out of his thoughts. “You’d probably be able to match the make up even if I were wearing a sack.”

 

Baekhyun pats his knee fondly, tipping his chin up to get started on his eyes.

 

 

 

▸

 

The award show is in two days and the pressure is on to make sure Jongin looks absolutely flawless. Baekhyun keeps ignoring his texts, so Kyungsoo has no choice but to physically yank him up from where he finds him sitting in the cafeteria eating a sandwich and drag him into the main dressing room where all the potential outfits are.

 

Baekhyun is still choking a bit on a morsel, struggling to swallow it down before he glares at Kyungsoo incredulously.

 

“The is your problem?”

 

“You’re being a little ,” Kyungsoo retorts, knowing full well that Baekhyun has put the pieces together by now.

 

Baekhyun takes a sweeping look around the room, skimming over the outfit choices.

 

“That’s it?” he laughs, and Kyungsoo seethes silently. “I guess it’s a good thing Jongin’s got the body to still pull off bland.”

 

“As opposed to the clown show you put on his face?” Kyungsoo scoffs, narrowing his eyes. “It only looks halfway decent because it’s Jongin.”

 

“Bull,” Baekhyun throws back defiantly. “I bet I could make even you look good.”

 

“Charming.”

 

Baekhyun grins, taking a step closer.

 

“Okay, how about this. You let me do your face and I’ll let you dress me,” he suggests, playfully tugging open the first button of his shirt.

 

Kyungsoo keeps his eyes averted from the slight flash of chest.

 

“Fine,” he concedes against his better judgement. “Get on with it then.”

 

Baekhyun’s grin widens. The make up kit is already on the dressing table and Kyungsoo lowers himself into the chair, raising an eyebrow expectantly. It’s all the cue Baekhyun needs to step in closer, way closer than Kyungsoo had anticipated, liner pencil in hand. He braces the other hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, his thumb pressing against his collarbone.

 

“Close your eyes,” he says. Kyungsoo glares at him.

 

Sighing, Baekhyun leans back with a frown.

 

“Are we doing this or not?”

 

Exhaling loudly from his nose, Kyungsoo purses his lips and squeezes his eyes shut.

 

“Not so much,” Baekhyun reprimands, coaxing him to loosen up with the sudden touch of his palm against the side of Kyungsoo’s face. The shiver zings down his spine but, surprisingly, his face relaxes.

 

Baekhyun’s fingers are cold but gentle, applying soft pressure to where he’s drawing with the pencil along the line of his eyelashes.

 

“Alright, open up.”

 

Baekhyun’s nose is barely inches away from Kyungsoo’s this time, the proximity startling him though Kyungsoo reigns his reaction in. He waits for Baekhyun to check his work, move on to something else, anything, but Baekhyun just stays there, his eyes locked on Kyungsoo’s.

 

The small space between them is thick with electric tension, like a growing bubble just waiting to burst. Kyungsoo can feel his heart rising in his throat, gripping the handles of the chair tightly until he can focus on the dull pain in his palms over the heat in Baekhyun’s eyes.

 

Baekhyun takes his sweet time, moving torturously slow, particularly when he gets to Kyungsoo’s lips, pressing his thumb into his lower lip to part them, cradling his jaw to hold his face steady to apply the colour with his brush.Kyungsoo isn’t sure when he stopped breathing but he only releases the air trapped in his lungs when Baekhyun finally pulls away, stepping around the chair to spin him around towards the mirror.

 

“Admit it, I’m fantastic.”

 

Kyungsoo wants to roll his eyes but he catches his reflection and resists the urge to curse because Baekhyun is a little and he actually is fantastic. Despite the nature of his job and the industry, Kyungsoo doesn’t particularly bother too much with his own appearance, preferring to invest his attention and effort into others. This, his reflection, is entirely new to him and, dare he think it, actually looks hot. His eyes are lined with black, tapering off into slender, flawless wings along the corners. There’s a gradient of charcoal black and silver across his eyelids with the slightest hint of red running along his lower lid. It’s a dramatic look but it’s balanced enough to work with Kyungsoo’s features.

 

His lips are slightly pinked up and Kyungsoo shrugs away the phantom touch of Baekhyun’s fingers on them.

 

“It’s alright,” Kyungsoo says simply, refusing to break. Baekhyun raises an eyebrow, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek, like he knows what Kyungsoo’s doing but refuses to take the bait.

 

Hauling himself out of the chair, Kyungsoo claps his hands together, heading for the clothing racks.

 

“My turn,” he says, filing through the hangers. Most of these will be too big for Baekhyun since they’re meant for Jongin’s frame, but Kyungsoo digs around, knowing there’s a few things that will work anyway.

 

He comes across a pair of skinny leather pants and pulls them off the hanger, trying not to think about how Baekhyun’s will look in them. Kyungsoo pairs it off with a low cut silk maroon shirt and the jacket to go with it, yanking a belt down from the rack. He fishes out a leather choker from the accessories cabinet as an afterthought.

 

Kyungsoo piles the load into Baekhyun’s arms without a word, picking up a pair of chunky combat boots that’ll probably be too big for him but will work for the outfit anyway.

 

Baekhyun eyes him with a sly grin, draping the load over the back of the chair. He doesn’t even bother moving behind the folding screen, casually undressing on the spot, letting his clothes drop on the floor. Kyungsoo stares at him defiantly, keeping his eyes firmly on Baekhyun’s, only just getting a split second to appreciate the taut muscles of his bare thighs when Baekhyun’s busy pulling the shirt over his head. As expected, the pants fit him perfectly, hugging his thighs and settling on his hips without needing the belt at all.

 

Kyungsoo stops him before he turns to the mirror, tugging him closer by the lapels of his jacket and smooths out the ribbons hanging down from each side of his shirt collar. He can almost feel Baekhyun’s breath on his face as he works on tying them into a loose knot below his sternum, right under the open slit revealing most of his chest. He sweeps one last look at the complete piece, appreciating how good it looks on Baekhyun before letting him check himself out.

 

“Huh,” Baekhyun says, nodding and pushing his lip out slightly, mouth twisting, looking moderately impressed. He turns back to Kyungsoo. “Not bad.”

 

There’s a moment of silence and then Baekhyun grins and shrugs like it’s no big deal, even as his eyes read differently. Kyungsoo snaps. Baekhyun’s hands are ready for him when he lunges, settling around his hips while Kyungsoo’s fist in the front of his shirt, pressing their mouths together.

 

He backs Baekhyun into the wall behind him, swallowing his groan when his spine slams against it but the kiss doesn’t falter. Baekhyun pays him back with an extra sharp tug at his hair, his hand sliding around the back of Kyungsoo’s neck to hold him close. It gets really hot, really fast and Kyungsoo only allows himself a second to gasp for air before back into Baekhyun’s mouth, drowning in the heat again. He rips the hem of the shirt out from where it’s tucked into Baekhyun’s pants, running his hand under the fabric, feeling his warm skin and the goosebumps rising under his nails. He grins against Baekhyun’s lips when his stomach tenses at the touch of his fingers, pressing his palm into the firm muscles of his abdomen.

 

“For the record, you look really ing hot,” Baekhyun gasps, catching Kyungsoo’s lower lip between his teeth before pulling back.

 

Feeling a spike of heat in his gut, Kyungsoo gives into temptation and smooths his palms down over Baekhyun’s , appreciating the firm curve of it perfectly filling out the leather. He squeezes lightly and relishes the way Baekhyun arches against him, his breath catching audibly.

 

He only realises that Baekhyun’s managed to work his zipper open too when someone’s phone rings somewhere in the background and Baekhyun groans, frustrated.

 

“Mine. I have to take that,” he breathes into Kyungsoo’s ear, still slipping his hand in deeper to Kyungsoo’s stiffening through his underwear once before retracting his fingers. ing tease.

 

“We’ll finish this later,” he says cheerfully, starting to walk away but Kyungsoo reels him in one more time, kissing Baekhyun again, hot and messy, before letting him go, swiping his thumb along his chin to wipe off the spit and pats his cheek. Baekhyun looks a little mindblown.

 

Once he’s gone, Kyungsoo finally in a deep breath, rattling it out through his teeth. He can still feel Baekhyun’s lips on his, and the press of his fingers; just the thought sends another burst of heat shooting through his stomach.

 

Sighing, he looks down at the uncomfortable tightness around the crotch of his pants. He’ll have to deal with that before he can go anywhere outside this room. He heads for the restroom door, the touch of Baekhyun’s fingers still flashing through his mind.

 

 

 

▸

 

Kyungsoo has just finished preparing the clothes on the rack when he sees Jongin rounding the corner. The moment Jongin spots him he stiffens, eyes going comically wide and immediately spins on his heel, trying to walk away far too abruptly to be as inconspicuous as he’s evidently attempting to be.

 

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo stops him. “What is that?”

 

Jongin freezes and turns around slowly, keeping his eyes focused on a spot on the ground. His eyes which are laced with blended shades of purple and pink.

 

Kyungsoo breaks the plastic hanger in his hands.

 

“I was extra clear to Baekhyun about doing khaki today,” Kyungsoo grits out coolly, keeping his tone steady for Jongin’s benefit. “It’s fine. I’ll figure it out. It’s fine.”

 

Jongin releases a long exhale and Kyungsoo pats him on the back gently, sitting him down on the couch while he starts working on a new outfit from scratch. Again.

 

 

 

▸

 

“Not. ing. Fine,” Kyungsoo grits out, punctuating each word with an extra hard into Baekhyun as they rock on his mattress.

 

Baekhyun’s laugh chokes off into a groan, his fingers tightening around Kyungsoo’s where his hand is clasped in his palm against the sheets, gripping it so tightly Kyungsoo can feel it going numb. He takes a moment to admire the way Baekhyun’s spine arches and bends, his skin glistening with sweat, stiffening and tensing with every push. Kyungsoo wraps his free arm around his waist, sliding his hand over Baekhyun’s taut stomach, feeling him shiver and tighten around him again, begging for more. Each squeeze sends another round of white explosions flashing behind his eyelids.

 

The second his fingers wrap around Baekhyun’s , he moans so loudly his voice cracks, his back bowing sharply and he comes in Kyungsoo’s hand. Picking up the pace, Kyungsoo grinds his hips harder and faster to chase after his own release, in a sharp breath when Baekhyun tightens around him again, helping him along. He comes moments later, his jaw locking from the electric fire running through his veins as he rides it out.

 

He slumps down on Baekhyun’s back when he finally comes down from it, both of them panting heavily. Kyungsoo shifts, hesitating for a moment before pressing a gentle kiss onto Baekhyun’s shoulder blade, slightly apologetic even though he can see the corners of Baekhyun’s mouth twisted up in a smile from here.

 

“I should screw with the colours more often if this is what it gets me,” Baekhyun grins over his shoulder, catching Kyungsoo’s eye. That earns him a light nip on the back of his neck, and Kyungsoo is pleased with the way he gasps when he grazes his teeth lightly across his skin.

 

Baekhyun shrugs him off, turning around in Kyungsoo’s hold and shifting onto his other side to face Kyungsoo instead, bringing their faces close together. Kyungsoo is a little lost for words at the smile on Baekhyun’s face, not mischievous or playful this time; just soft. His eyes are so bright, fixed on his in a way that is entirely new to Kyungsoo.

 

Baekhyun leans in then and kisses him languidly, taking his time, pressing his tongue inside and makes Kyungsoo’s toes curl all over again.

 

He breaks off just to press a kiss to the tip of Kyungsoo’s nose, leaning back, still smiling.

 

“You’re cute,” he says, and there’s that glint back in his eyes again.

 

Kyungsoo is furious at the way his cheeks ing burn at that, and immediately rolls up onto his knees, straddling Baekhyun before he has time to grin gleefully, deciding that he needs to the butterflies out of his system, and wipe the smugness off Baekhyun’s face again.